In addition to the Ministry of Environment Notice No. 2025-124 posted earlier, additional notice has been sent out by the MoE and Acting MoJ describing the notice in further detail.
Notice on Voluntary Reporting of Violations of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (AREC)
The Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (AREC) requires manufacturers or importers of chemical substances to register or report those substances accordingly.
Violations of this law may result in imprisonment for up to five years, fines of up to 1 billion KRW, or a penalty of up to 5% of the company’s total sales.
However, due to inadequate electronic management of production and import volumes, as well as a lack of awareness regarding AREC obligations, violations of the law still occur in businesses.
To enhance the effectiveness of AREC and encourage non-compliant companies to comply with regulations, the Ministry of Environment, in consultation with the Ministry of Justice, has decided to implement a voluntary reporting period from February 28, 2025, to October 27, 2025.
Companies that report violations and take appropriate corrective measures during this period will be exempt from penalties under AREC. Furthermore, for cases currently under investigation or prosecution, the Ministry of Justice has agreed to consider leniency.
To voluntarily report, businesses must submit a violation report along with documentation detailing production and import records using the AREC form to the designated reporting institution.
This voluntary reporting initiative is a temporary measure aimed at maximizing the intent of AREC, which is to protect public health and the environment through the collection and utilization of chemical substance information.
Violation details include:
(1) Manufacturing or importing chemical substances without registration in violation of Article 10, Paragraph 1 of the Act, or in a manner different from the registered details.
(2) Failure to report existing chemical substances or manufacturing/importing chemical substances inconsistently with the reported details in violation of Article 10, Paragraph 3 of the Act.
(3) Failure to register changes or manufacturing/importing chemical substances inconsistently with the registered changes in violation of Article 12, Paragraph 1 of the Act.
Once the voluntary reporting period ends, stricter enforcement will be carried out through inspections and monitoring, and any violations found will be strictly handled according to legal provisions.
Chemical manufacturers and importers are urged to understand the government's intention behind this measure, carefully review past activities for potential AREC violations, and report any violations within the designated period.
February 28, 2025
Minister of Environment, Kim Wan-seop
Acting Minister of Justice, Kim Seok-woo
Attachment:
- Public Notice on Voluntary Reporting of Violations of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (AREC).